Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance driven by resonant surface states

ORAL

Abstract

Fully-relativistic first-principles calculations of the Fe(001) surface demonstrate that resonant surface (interface) states may produce sizeable tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in magnetic tunnel junctions with a single magnetic electrode. The effect is driven by the spin-orbit coupling. It shifts the resonant surface band via the Rashba effect when the magnetization direction changes. We find that spin-flip scattering at the interface is controlled not only by the strength of the spin-orbit coupling, but depends strongly on the intrinsic width of the resonant surface states.

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Authors

  • Athanasios Chantis

    Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory

  • Kirill Belashchenko

    Department of Physics and Astronomy and Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska Lincoln, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  • Evgeny Tsymbal

    Department of Physics and Astronomy and Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  • Mark van Schilfgaarde

    School of Materials, Arizona State University, Arizona State University